Page 13 of You Know You Wanna

Trying to switch off my inappropriate thoughts, I smiled at him playfully. “I’ve never been insulting a day in my life.”

“I believe that wholeheartedly.” He turned to face me and leaned on the bar, his posture more open now that the ice was broken. “Can I buy you a drink?”

I lifted the Mai Tai I was still holding in my hand. “I’m all good, thanks. I need to go slow on these or I’ll wind up stealing the microphone from James and making a complete fool of myself.”

His eyebrows twitched up. “It sounds like there’s a story there. Do you know this from experience?”

“What? Me? Of course not.” I took a sip of my drink.

He narrowed his eyes at me, still sparkling with amusement. “Birdie, are you lying to me?”

“I would never. Just don’t google singing drunk girl sets dress on fire.” I grinned and took another drink.

Remington laughed for real at that. It was a deep rich baritone that made white doves take flight in my chest. “Well now I have to look for it.”

“For the record, before you watch it, that lady’s dress barely got burned. And I was the one who put it out. The video misses most of that, of course, when everyone panicked.” I shook my head. “Never believe anything you see on the internet.”

“Wait, it wasn’t even your dress you set on fire?” He pulled out his phone. “I’m finding it.”

I shot him a sour look. “Look, when I sing Let It Go, I get into it. I didn’t know there was a lit candle on that table.”

He groaned at his phone. “Why is there no service now, when I need it most?”

“I’ll tell you how it ends and save you the trouble.” I took another sip of the Mai Tai. “I grabbed a pitcher of beer off the bar, splashed out those flames, and finished singing without missing a word.”

“That sounds like a hell of a night.” He chuckled and shook his head. “It couldn’t have been that bad, though. You’re still here, so you must not have pissed off the boss too much.”

I laughed. “Trust me, Alan was pissed off, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. You can’t fire your own daughter.”

“He’s your father?” Remington asked, eyebrows sweeping up all the way now.

I sighed softly, a tinge of pain in my heart when I shook my head. “Kind of. I lost my parents years ago, but Alan has been like a dad to me ever since, and he doesn’t have kids of his own, so he kind of adopted me. Unofficially, of course, but he sees me as something of a daughter now.”

“I’m sorry about your parents,” he said, sounding genuine. His eyes met mine, and it felt strangely like he could see into my soul as he stared at me so relentlessly. “How did you end up at Blue Pines after you lost them? If you’ve been here for ten years, I’m assuming you landed here not long after?”

“Astute observation,” I said. “My mom actually passed when I was a teenager. I have three younger siblings and Dad was struggling with everything by himself, so I started working here to make some extra cash. It was close to home, so I could also still help out with my brothers and sisters. It made sense. Guess I just never left.”

“Close to home?” he asked. “You’re from Bluebell Hollow?”

I slanted my head at him, smiling. “Is that so weird? I grew up in town. Been here all my life. How about you? Where are you from?”

“New York,” he said but then quickly turned the conversation back to me. “What’s it like to live and work here, so close to home? Alan seems like a real character to work for.”

“His bark is worse than his bite,” I said fondly. “I love it here. I can’t imagine ever leaving. How about you? What do you do for a living?”

“I’m an investor,” he said vaguely. “His bark is worse than his bite, huh? What does that mean?”

I shrugged, wondering why he was so curious about Alan but not seeing a reason not to answer his questions. “He started this place with his wife. She passed a few years ago, and he grew up on this property. Together, they started a little bed and breakfast, and eventually, it turned into all this. The resort was like their child and now that she’s gone, he’s fiercely protective of it.”

“Ah. I was wondering why a man his age still worked so hard.”

I gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, I really think he’s going to die on the job. He’s just not the type to retire. I don’t know what he’d do with his time if he wasn’t working.”

“Play golf?” he suggested.

I chuckled. “There are some amazing courses in the area if you’re interested, but he’s not. Work is all he knows.”

Remington finished his beer and signaled to Gracie for another, his gaze dropping to my almost empty glass. “Can I buy you a drink now?”